These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Jesus said to his disciples: “Where I am going you know the way." Thomas said to him, "Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Jn 14:1-6)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/051625.cfm
The Way, the Truth, the Life. Jesus shows us the way to live authentically, to truthfully be the persons God created us to be. That Way is to “live no longer for ourselves but for him who died and rose again for us” (Eucharistic Prayer IV). Jesus, who came not “to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk 10:45). The Way is the Way of Service. As the old hymn sings, “They will know we are Christians by our love!”
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. (Jn 13:16-20)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/051525.cfm
The Lord really entrusts his mission to us. No one takes this on himself. We are called and sent.
It is necessary that one of the men who accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus came and went among us.” So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this apostolic ministry from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.” Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles. (Acts 1:15-17, 20-26)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/051425.cfm
Choosing a replacement for Judas Iscariot or choosing a successor to Saint Peter calls the church to reflect on the needs of the church and the qualities necessary for the ministry. Thanks to medieval and modern technology in the election of Pope Leo, all of us felt we were involved in the process.
Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the Church and taught a large number of people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians. (Acts 11:19-26)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/051325.cfm
There’s a wonderful translation of the New Testament into Southern idiom that uses Southern place names for the story and says that it was in Mobile (Alabama—my hometown) that the disciples were first called Christians. The gospel always has to be translated into the language of the people so that everyone can understand. Today's picture is of Mobile, Alabama. Today's video is cinematic drone footage of my hometown.
Whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. (Jn 10:1-10)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/051225.cfm
How does the flock recognize the shepherd? He calls them by name, and he smells of the sheep. Today’s photo is of Pope Leo walking with his people during floods in his diocese of Chiclayo, Peru.
